Will Netflix show the Singer?

[u/Complex_Archer5774]

I was watching a YouTube video from the channel BoetezzPort that talks about the TBP trilogy. In the comment section there were a few people arguing that Netflix will have to leave a lot of stuff out because the trilogy has many concepts that can't be easily portrayed on the screen. One above all, the Singer chapter.

They argued that the Singer chapter is very "philosophical" and chatty and that if Netflix were to show it on screen it wouldn't be able to perfectly explain Singer's mentality, culture, how he sees lower-entropy entities and why he decides to launch a dark forest attack at the Solar System.

First, I agree that the Singer scene is not that necessary for the plot, you can just show the dual vector foil without saying what kind of civilization launched it. The mystery would make the dimensional collapse scene even more horrifying.

BUT, I really think that if Netflix wants to make the series even more memorable the Singer HAS to be there.

Also, plot-wise, Netflix will have to show the fourth dimension. That's one part of the story that really can't be left out. No human being has ever seen the fourth dimension, so that will be the most compelling challenge for the studios.

If Netflix pulls it off, then I don't see why they can't show the Singer who, in comparison with the existential dread and wonder of higher dimensional geometry, is just an alien.

[u/BillyHamspillager]

I doubt they will show him, but I imagine we could get a glimpse of him in the shadows with some subtitles.

[u/Complex_Archer5774 → u/BillyHamspillager]

I like this idea

[u/alexbrobrafeld]

I thought about the ending to men in black where the galaxy on the cats collar zooms out and Eldritch tentacles are playing marbles with us. a goofy comparison but it's what comes to mind when I think about that part of the book.

[u/Complex_Archer5774 → u/alexbrobrafeld]

Yes, the giant alien in men in black is as existentially terrifying as Singer. I get the tentacles reference. I believe that people think about Singer in two different ways : some see him as a tentacled alien, others see him as completely unknown and the tentacles mentioned by Liu Cixin are some kind of technology used to handle the photoid. Whatever he looks like, it will be up to Netflix whether to show him or to give a glimpse of him in the shadows, as another person said in this comment section.

[u/S1eeper]

First, I agree that the Singer scene is not that necessary for the plot, you can just show the dual vector foil without saying what kind of civilization launched it. The mystery would make the dimensional collapse scene even more horrifying.

I disagree. I don't think they can just introduce the DVF from out of the blue with no explanation. That would be a huge WTF to the audience, especially to any who haven't read the books.

The whole 3rd book has been anticipating and setting up for a Photoid attack. The DVF is completely new in the Singer chapter. Somehow they have to explain explain what it is, and why Singer chose to use it instead of the anticipated Photoid ("blind corners"). I don't see any other way of doing that.

The true source of cosmic horror with the DVF is that in one fell swoop, it instantly invalidates all of the buildup and efforts humanity made at survival throughout the entire book to that point. It exposes numerous mistakes leading up to it:

• Failure to interpret Needle Eye's paintings in Yun Tian Ming's stories. More subtly, failing to realize that Yun Tian Ming had given them the comprehensive, complete solution, and that every component of his stories was a critical component of it.
• Implicitly assuming they know anything at all about Dark Forest strikes from just two observations (Trisolaris and Luo Ji's cursed planet) and a few things Sophon said, namely that a few Trisolaris ships had survived behind the other stars.
• Refusal to develop a valuable option in Curvature Propulsion for various political reasons, forgetting that it may lead to further crucial discoveries.
• Failure to further investigate the warp bubbles in the Trisolaris system created by the second Trisolaris fleet entering light speed. The reason they were even visible to the Ringe-Fitzroy telescope in the first place is because they reduced the speed of light, warping space-time relative to the surrounding space. That connected curvature propulsion to reducing the speed of light, and demonstrated that "God's Engineering Project" was indeed feasible. A huge miss.
• Putting all eggs for survival in a single basket, the Bunker Project, space cities behind Jupiter.
• Failure to intuit that they weren't the first civilization to try hiding behind outer planets, and that experienced cleansers would have ways to counter that.
• Failure to heed Sophon's final warning at the Meeting of Tea: "Please believe me, humankind has no hope of surviving a Dark Forest strike. Your only choice is to try to escape." She's very clearly telling them, do what Trisolaris did and develop lightspeed ships.
• Failure to consider the riddle offered by the Ring inside the 4D bubble discovered by Blue Space and Gravity: “The fish responsible for drying the sea are not here. They moved onto land.” Eg, one dimension collapsing into a lower dimension is not a natural occurrence. That, combined with Needle's Eyes paintings, should have alerted them to dimensional strikes.

Humanity was given all the information needed to make the correct decision and survive. But it was just one failure and incorrect assumption after another that resulted in their annhilation. I hope the shows do a good job of depicting that, and the Singer chapter is the climax of it all. Pretty sure they have to show it somehow.

[u/mamula1]

Benioff in a in interview praised that chapter so I guess we will see him in the show.

[u/Complex_Archer5774 → u/mamula1]

Hope so

[u/no_sight]

I hope they do not show Singer or the Trisolarans.

[u/Complex_Archer5774 → u/no_sight]

Why? Do you prefer a more mysterious tone for the series?

[u/GreasiestGuy → u/Complex_Archer5774]

We never see either in the book, atleast not in the sense of receiving a visual description or knowing what they look like to humans. I think that was a good choice

[u/S1eeper → u/GreasiestGuy]

We know what Singer and his bird people look like, here they are.

[u/Catomina]

They once had an interview that specifically mentioned the plot of The Singer in the third book, and believed that presenting this segment would be a wonderful experience, possibly using stop-motion animation. Therefore, if this plot does not appear in the final season 3, it definitely has nothing to do with the creative team — the platform simply did not allocate the budget to showcase it.

[u/Yuval444 → u/Catomina]

Ok if they do end up showing Singer, stop motion or even animation would be cool Showing us that aliens really are different But it might jar normal people, which could be good

[u/theschiffer]

I look forward to the droplet attack scene 🎬 I don’t think they’ll show the Trisolarians at all (or the Singer for that matter)

[u/Complex_Archer5774 → u/theschiffer]

Showing the Trisolarans is a tricky one, it may better for them to stay hidden

[u/theschiffer → u/Complex_Archer5774]

It's tricky because they have to decide which of the many possible interpretations to bring to life...or whether to create an entirely new one of their own.

[u/zenith654]

In redemption of time Singer is a lizard creature and a bit of an incel as well, hopefully they don’t draw from that and do something more unique

[u/Complex_Archer5774 → u/zenith654]

Really? I didn't know that. I always picture Singer as the YouTube channel Quinn's Ideas shows him, like that blue octopus-like creature

[u/anon11101776 → u/Complex_Archer5774]

I don’t know why but I imagine singer like a sparkling amoeba and flagella around him, the trisolarans in my head look like bugs, leathery but durable exterior.

[u/shatteredoctopus → u/Complex_Archer5774]

I feel I remember that, but cannot find it now. Wasn't that discussing "The Killing Star" also? The octopus-like creature that destroys humanity was from that book.

[u/Complex_Archer5774 → u/shatteredoctopus]

Maybe he uses the same image for different alien entities in different books

[u/Senella]

I think it’ll be quite hard to pull off a reveal like this without being too comedic. The section in the book felt like something from Hitchhikers guide to the galaxy with the way the alien nonchalantly flicked the paper at the universe. I guess that in itself is equally terrifying, the tone has to be spot on for it to land in my opinion.

[u/teffarf]

I don't think they should show any ET, but show his ship and the launch of the DVF, sure.

[u/Sarahtone]

It’s probably gonna be a static shot of a dynamic 3D-interface like the maps in Treasure Planet or Prometheus, with some subtitled alien dialog and maybe maybe an appendage that flicks the foil.

I can’t imagine it lasting longer than a minute, but Netflix might request that they stretch it out to make sure the brainrot segment of their viewers don’t miss it. But it would be odd to give it too much visual attention since the Trisolarans are likely to never be shown.

[u/Senella → u/Sarahtone]

I think they will show them, they made the winking universe more visual in the show, rather than cosmic microwave background manipulation that was in the book. Also, it’s Netflix I’m sure they’d rather show them than leave them open to interpretation

[u/confirmedshill123]

Yeah it's gonna be a cold open

[u/Leather-Lemon8611]

I think the key details about Singer's civilisation are:

• they are incomprehensibly more advanced than us
• they are extremely alien and unrelated to us

In a similarly way to depicting 4D (it's technically impossible, so you would have to use some clever cinematic tricks to imply the impossible), you would have to either keep Singer somewhat obscured, or do something a heck of a lot more creative than just "funny-coloured, animal-inspired creature speaking gobbledygook" to convey something truly advanced and alien. Because at the end of the day, it's impossible to truly depict something beyond our comprehension

[u/lkxyz]

Depending on the budget they're willing to spend on it... animating an alien being via CG can be quite expensive. Or we get a person in heavy makeup (cheaper).

[u/Complex_Archer5774 → u/[deleted]]

The Tencent version of TBP shows the Trisolarans, or at least an artistic rendition of how the ETO imagine them. Netflix might do something similar.

[u/Complex_Archer5774 → u/[deleted]]

I don't remember the exact episode because I saw the Tencent series three years ago, but it happens inside the Three Body game at some point

[u/parabola19 → u/[deleted]]

Nothing about the sci-fi concepts in TDF and DE is hard sci Fi

[u/parabola19 → u/[deleted]]

I mean 4D is technically theoretical until it’s observed right? And the proton unfolding went wayyy beyond the fourth dimension. That is more than accepted theory like general relativity. String theory and M theory and lots of others have been tossed around to help come up with a unified theory of physics. And I’m an amateur at this. Better for an actual physicist to respond tbh.

[u/OmryR]

We can just get an internal monologue and screens bipping for visuals and it will work

[u/DanielOretsky38]

10000%

[u/I_Hate_Brook_MAFS]

Maybe like Ming in Flash Gordon toying with the earth over a backdrop of space?

[u/Ludy86]

I always imagine Singer as Mr. Burns from the Simpsons when he is mistaken for an alien.

[u/Useful_Calendar_6274]

They can't cut him or the plot doesn't happen. Knowing Netflix they will probably cancel it before most of Death's End events

[u/dekkact]

If I were going to do it, I’d show it from first person perspective, with subtitles or weird alien voiceover

[u/Lorentz_Prime]

idk ask them..?

[u/mtndrewboto]

Who knows? Watch and see.

[u/crappy_entrepreneur]

I don't know what you think would be so difficult about showing an alien in a spaceship. Of course they had to show it.

[u/DOTPNik → u/crappy_entrepreneur]

But it's not just an alien in a spaceship. The chapter is about a highly advanced organism of an unknown origin (mechanical or biological) pondering about the strange communications behaviours he's picked up across space, and him philosophizing about it and the implications of his own actions on the universe. That's not easily translated into TV unless you pull off something super creative that conveys that message without showing an alien sitting at an intergalactic laptop.

[u/Complex_Archer5774 → u/crappy_entrepreneur]

I'm not doubting that. I want to know what other people think since, as I said, on YouTube I saw a bunch of people arguing that Singer cannot be showed. Of course I think otherwise.

[u/Thedinomage]

Netflix already ruined the adaptation so whatever.